This invention relates to caskets or coffins used to house the remains of once living organisms. More particularly, this invention is directed toward a lightweight yet structurally strong casket highly suitable for cremation-type and interment ceremonies. The casket exhibits excellent structural integrity while being highly flammable and minimally harmful to the environment.
The riddance of the bodies of the deceased can be accomplished in several ways, including burial and cremation. Because of the growing concern for the world""s environment, both of these methods have been highly scrutinized. Environmental problems include the overpopulation of cemeteries and the effects of placing a corpse into the ground. In addition, environmental concerns arise from cremation, which is done in part to alleviate the concerns regarding burial, wherein harmful volatile organic compounds (VOC""s) are released to the atmosphere via the burning of environmentally unsafe materials which are often used to manufacture caskets or coffins.
In response to the environmental concerns surrounding cremation and in response also to the ever-rising costs of coffins and/or caskets for burial, inexpensive, lightweight and environmentally safe caskets have been developed. Most of these caskets are constructed from corrugated cardboard or the like. Corrugated cardboard tends to absorb moisture and degrades structurally when it is exposed thereto. However, because of the inadequate structural integrity of corrugated cardboard caskets, such caskets tend to twist and bend thereby threatening the security of the corpse therein and risking the stability of the mental health of friends and relatives who may unwantingly witness an unscheduled viewing of the deceased should the casket fail.
In the prior art, for example, the patent to Elder, U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,455 discloses a cardboard casket and a method of manufacturing the same. The patent discloses a corrugated cardboard casket constructed from multiple blanks of cardboard which are attached and folded to create the enclosure which forms the casket. However, as can be seen from the drawing and the text, only the use of corrugated cardboard is disclosed. Corrugated cardboard, which is currently and predominantly used in making lightweight caskets, inherently lacks structural integrity and, therefore, causes things made from it to also lack structural integrity. Therefore, the casket in Elder poses the risk of structural failure.
For the morbid partygoer, U.S. Pat. No. 4,891,859 to Nutting, discloses a cardboard coffin for use at parties or similar occasions which is formed from a plurality of corrugated cardboard blanks. Again, the coffin is constructed by folding the corrugated cardboard into the shape of the casket or coffin. As with Elder, the use of the corrugated cardboard fails to provide the coffin with the necessary strength and structural rigidity of a more expensive coffin constructed from stronger materials.
While the foregoing patents disclose the use of cardboard for constructing a more economical and environmentally safe casket, none of the prior patents discloses the use of polymer coated cellulose fiber (PCCF) or other material arranged in an open cell pattern or other patterns exhibiting similar high strength when constructed in accordance with this invention.
The invention disclosed herein is directed toward an economical and environmentally safe casket having excellent structural integrity for maintaining the shape of the casket and for exhibiting low torsional displacement during the carrying of the deceased. These properties are exhibited even when the casket is exposed to a high moisture environment.
In accordance with the invention, the lightweight casket comprises a body containment compartment and a lid constructed from a core section of polymer coated cellulose fiber (PCCF) arranged in an open cell pattern. The core section for both the lid and for the body containment portion is comprised of a first and a second surface, wherein each surface is attached to a stabilizing surface element thereby causing a sandwich-type effect. Additionally, the core of this sandwich could be made of a solid surface structural material such as polystyrene foam.
The core section may be comprised of a plurality of honeycomb cells wherein each cell is substantially a cylindrically shaped tube. The stabilizing surface elements are surface-treated planar sheets glued or otherwise attached to the open cell patterned core of PCCF. The combination of the open cell pattern core and the sandwiching effect via the stabilizing surface elements, supplies the structural rigidity of the casket. The core material provides the shear force for carrying the sandwich construction while the stabilizing surface elements carry the bending forces of the sandwich. The core material having the open cells perpendicular to the stabilizing surface elements exhibit a much stronger and stiffer structural shear carrying member than a longitudinally aligned corrugated configuration.
This invention also includes the method of constructing the lightweight casket. The open cell patterned core section is first cut into a rectangular pattern suitable in size for folding into the body containment section. A first stabilizing surface element is attached to the underside of the core section, and a second stabilizing surface element comprising a plurality of sections is similarly attached to the upper portion of the core section but arranged in a pattern allowing the folding of the core section into the body containment section. During bonding of the stabilizing surface elements thereto, the core acts as a pressure transfer mechanism to assure proper bonding. Upon folding, the walls and bottom of the body containment section are established and are adhered to each other for maintaining the enclosure-type structure. Finally, a lid is formed in a similar manner from a core section and stabilizing surface elements which are caused to form a dome-like shape via use of a jig and the application of air pressure.
The casket disclosed is lightweight yet structurally rigid for supporting and carrying the contents placed therein. By using PCCF in lieu of more expensive materials, economic and environmental concerns are precluded while a very strong lightweight structure is established via the use of the open cell pattern and stabilizing surface elements.